Contrabando (OLD)

Had Mexicali group dining set menu out of all the fried Monteray Jack Sticks stood out , the sauces were smokey and flavoursome,Chargrilled Corn were juicy and tasty, crispy fish taco were yum. Great atmosphere, the staff were very helpful and friendly. Made the team event a great night.

Tasty food, efficient service and trendy decor. Our favourite dishes were the corn and the chicken wings, though all the selections were great. Would definitely recommend, just a shame its not open weekends otherwise would come more often.

Fantastic food. Loved the mushroom quesadilla and the pork tacos were super tasty. The staff were attentive and pleasant. Also when we visited $10 Margherita's...

The tacos are delicious!! You just have to be lucky with the staff I guess. Most of them are pretty cranky and kind of treat you rudely. Had service with a smile here once and was suddenly very impressed, because I've gotten so used to the cold shoulder treatment and awkward way of getting served here. The restaurant itself is just a non-inviting basement with very loud music. Go without expectations and for the amazing tacos only! On Tuesdays they're only 3 dollars each :)

I had the fish, prawn and pulled pork taco today. Really enjoyed the fish and prawn but the pulled pork taco was way too saucey.

Service slow, not all waiters do the same job. Some can only do food orders and it seems too hard to pass on a drinks order so you have to wait for someone else to come by the table. Food is tasty though.

Food was great, place was packed and the service was a little slow but it was worth while waiting. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good food

We had a great time, went with work colleagues. Food came out in a timely fashion - good portion sizes, good price, and the staff were very attentive.

The food was delicious, the staff friendly and efficient. The food and drinks came out quickly too. We will definitely be going back again soon!

Contrabando delivered another fabulous experience. The taco's were as good as always. I will be back for more in the not too distant future. We were very well looked after by the team.

Excellent food and awesome cocktails! Service was fantastic and great atmosphere. Could have stayed there all night. Looking forward to eating there again very soon.

Ordinary. Our order came out (4 times) and it was wrong each time. Not great for a quick taco lunch. Sweet potato fries were soggy and heavy. Way too much onion and what tasted like pre-made sauces from a bottle.

very tasty tacos and fast service. i went during lunch time. The place is basement level, so expect for it to be a little dark

Absolutely delicious tacos. But we sat for 1..5 hours on a Friday night and only had a waitress come to us 3 times, even though we were supposed to be doing' all-you-can-eat' tacos that were supposed to be regularly ordered by us. That was disappointing.

Food was amazing, the bulgogi beef and pulled pork were standouts and the margaritas were on point - great value on Taco Tuesday! Hidden gem tucked away in the city, grab a bunch of friends for a fun night out

Very good service and very easy to book a table. Staff were very pleasant. Good atmosphere in the restaurant. Great value for money. Great food!

Food was great, we had a banquet. However, drink service was incredibly slow and any polite questioning was met with hostility from the bar staff. Payment was unprofessional too, twice the cashier counted our cash and was coming up $100+ short. However, when we counted it out in front of them the correct money was there.

Great food - we did the express lunch, nice but not a healthy option, a once a week splurge. I should have chosen myself and selected a few healthy options

Contrabando is always a favourite! Great food - good Friday deal of 4 tacos for $20 (everyone at our table agreed fish was the best!)

Great food and great service was in a out within 45 mins. Perfect place for lunch during the work week. Will come back very soon!

Although the service was a bit pushy at first and the ambiance of the table left a lot to be desired, the food and cocktails were great. I'd suggest asking for a table in the more dimly lit section.

Great food - tacos and ceviche Excellent value for $3 taco Tuesday However terrible service - slow, and very unfriendly and dismissive. Would go again, for $3 tacos

Food came out quick, was excellent and tasty as always! Friendly staff however very slow when I came to ordering and receiving drinks! With a group of 14 and charging 10% service charge, you would think they would attend to our table with more urgency... Overall a great night staff just need to pick up their act

Food and drinks were both amazing. Really great place for post work dinner! Tried heaps of different meal options and everyone at the table thought it was great

Fish and prawn tacos weer cold, but other than that great food.we enjoyed $10 cocktails as well. starters are fairly big, especially quacamola and chips.

Fantastic food, fantastic service and a great environment! I have been there many times and it has always been a great experience so I would definitely recommend it to people. Very chilled atmosphere too and hidden away from the chaotic city

Great food and beautiful atmosphere. Staff were very friendly and advised us on arrival of the days specials with food and drinks. Food arrived in good timing.

Great place for casual after work catch up! Recommend booking as it is hard to walk off the street and get a table. This has become my regular go-to place.

3 out of 6 as the food wasn't inedible. Although I was expecting a basement setting, the atmosphere was cheap, chairs uncomfortable, staff inattentive and the famous cocktails too light on the rum/tequila. I know it is hard to pull off Mexican in Australia so I'm forgiving of the food.

Have been before and it was excellent however this time the experience wasnt so great. waitress was pretty rude, its apparent they only employ backpackers as servers and having prior waiting experience not necessary waited 45 mins in an empty restaurant for our order. Food was good. Ill go again based on previous experiences , probably just a bad day.

It was good, service was okay and food was nice but a little to spicy for me. To dark needs more lighting and some music would be nice.

Good service despite the crowds and great street food. The quick lunch is filling and a good selection of dishes to get a feel for what's on offer

Beautiful food, fresh and tasty. I have enjoyed both lunch and dinner here. One of my favourites

It was very busy and service was slightly rushed and not that friendly. You definitely come here for the food. The quesadilla and tacos are tasty. Good place for Mexican and drinks.

Had mixed feelings about this place after going there for the first time today for a team Christmas lunch. The main meals were really good. I really enjoyed the Bulgolgi Taco. Highlighly recommended choice. However the dessert - Churros - we chose was not so much. Skip this and go elsewhere for dessert. Unfortunately due to language barrier, it was really difficult to cater for the 1 vegetarian in the group. Had I known we needed to call ahead to arrange for the vegetarian for the set menu, I would have, so that we didn't have the communication issues experienced. One of the girls in the group had a shard of glass in her sangria. When we got the replacement drink, there was no apology or anything. At least only 1 sangria was charged.

This place is Pretty good, but there's better tacos around for the price. But the drinks were good and the atmosphere is nice as well.

I was questioning why a client would want to go to a shared food place for a catch up, the food was great and a good atmosphere.

yeah - it was good. We come here a bit and have had better experiences... the waitresses were not as friendly as usual... One of them asked me if I wanted another beer - I said no - and she brought me one anyway... I was happy I spose, but the restaurant was not crowded, so she heard me OK... Also the potato dish that was ordered was described as 1/2 baked chap potatoes - and what was delivered was like potato crisps.... one last thing... the fist course - avocado dips were delivered on the table with a pile of brittle small chips/crackers - very hard to eat the avocado... and there were not enough - so lots of dips etc left over... AND we needs another plate to eat them... I hope I am not being too critical, but I though you might like to know these things...

Food was great as always. Packed with flavour and speedy.

Had dinner with a group of 6 on a Thursday night and all of the dishes we ordered were great. Only let down were the desserts (churros and flan) which were pretty awful. Have a sangria instead - it's delicious. As they weren't fully booked we were able to stay longer than 2 hours for a few more drinks. Check your bill as we were charged $18 for drinks that weren't ours but they did adjust that.